Interlocking switch-stand mechanism.



P. 0. ANDERSON. INTERLOGKING SWITCH STAND MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 15, 1913.

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THE NORRIS FETERS CO. PHOTOLITHO. VA

F. O. ANDERSON. INTERLOGKING SWITCH STAND MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.15, 1913 2 6% 4 6 u Z Z Mm e2 7. g kit .w

Wi nesses:

Iwvemtor THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHCL. WASHINGTON D. C,

NW. w

FRANK o. ANDERSON, oFcINcINNATI, OHIO.

INrnRLooKING swIrcrr-sTA n MECHANISM.

License.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, FRANK O. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at- Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have'invented certain new: and useful Improvements in InterlocklngSwitch-Stand Mechanisms, of which the fol lowing is a specification."

My nventlon relatesto means forinsur- 111g safety in the use ofrailwayswitches,

theoloject being to render it impossible to look a switch until thepoint-rail has'been brought againstthestock-railo My invention consistsin the parts audin the details of construction and arrangement of partsas wlll herein after be more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general perspectiveview of part of aswitch-and a switch stand embodying my invention Fig. 2is a detail ofthe switch-operating lever and the disengageable interlock-open atinglever; 3 is a detail perspective View of the bell crank that operatestheinterlocking plunger; Fig. 4: is a plan vieiv of the lnterlocklngmechanism; Eng. 5 IS a vertical-longitudinal section on the line wrc ofFig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a similar section, but showing a modlficatlon'.

-ln the construction herein shown as an example, the switch stand 1 hasthe top 1 plate 2 and the vertical main shaft 3, which is connected bymeans of the crank 41 and rods 5 and 6 to the point-rail 7 of theswitch. The shaft 3 has-the fulcrum-head: 8*fixed to it andtheswitch-operating lever 9 swings in a vertical plane on a pivot 10 inits fulcrum-head. When the lever 9 is down in vertical position, it willengage either in the slot 11 or the slot 12 in the plate. 2, accordinglyasthe switch is closed or opened. Stop lugs 13. and 1a areprovidedadjacent to the slots 11 and 12, respectively, to limit theswinging of the fulcrum-head Sin its horizontal plane, whichswingingispermitted when the switch operatlng lever 9 is raised out ofthe slot 11 or slot'12 to horizontal position. Above this pivot .10,-the lever 9 has the ear 15, with an opening 16 to receive the shackleofa padlock; and the 'fulcrumdiead 8. and this leverare so shaped in theregion of this ear 15 that the shackle of the'padlock in the-opening 16will engage with the outside of the fulcrum-head and prevent the lever 9from being raisedoutof either the slot 11 ortheslot "12; Thus the'safe'for traffic.

from the stock rail, the

, Specification of Letters I Patent. V x-Paijgntgd Aflg. 11,1914;Application filed October 15, 1913. Serial No. 795,222.

switch maybe-locked in closed or open position. I

The switch stand 1 is mounted on the head blocks 17, and one of these,close to the switch stand, between'the switchstand and the track, isgained or recessed and reeeivesa housing 18. The point-rail 7 of theswltch has a guard 19 bolted to it, as seen 1n Flg. 1, and theinterlocking-bar 20 is secured to this guard lt) by meansof 'nuts 21,flanking the guard and adjustable along a rounded part 22 of thebar 20.This bar 20 slides through a part of the housing 18 that extends outsidethe head block 17 A guide 23 for the'interlocking-bar 2l'is alsoprovided on the head block 17 about mid- 1 way between the housing 18and the track to reinforce said bar and render the operation of theapparatusunore accurate.

"The housing 18 is bolted to the underside ofa plate 24 which lies fiaton the upperside oi the head block 17, completelycoveringthe recess orgain in the head blockand being screwed or otherwise suit-ably securedtothe head block, as 'SllOWlL in Fig. 1. Sliding horizontally in thehousing 18, at right angles to the interlocking-bar 20, is theinterlocking-plunger .25. The interlocking-bar 20 has an opening 26,:andthis interlockingplunger. 25. can extend through this opening and outthrough the outside of the housing 18 when the pointrail 7 is drawn upclose to the stock-rail of the track and is perfectly 1 The parts are somade how ever, that if 1 the "point-rail 7 is, forany reason, left anyappreciable distance away enter the opening 26.

It is the purpose of my invention to. provlde simple 'andefi'ectivemechanism that will so connect the switch-operating mechanism and. thisinterlcoking-mechanism that the -switch cannot be locked unless thisplunger 25 has entered this opening 26 in the interlocln'ngbar 20, andthis will now be described. a

plunger 25 cannot I V Secured to the upperside of the plate 24 i Q is acrank-casing27 with. a cover 28 secured to" its top and holding, inbearings formed in said casing and cover, the transverse shaft 29, whichmakes up, with the arm 3.0 andthe arms 31, a bell-crank 'of integralconstruction; The plunger 25, asshown in. Fig. 5, has a head 32 fixed onit, inside the housing 18, and thearm 3001' the shell-crank ex .tendsdownand engages inthis head 32 in such a lrnanner thatif. the arms 31 ofthe:

bell-crank are raised, this arm 30 will pull the plunger 25 back fromthe interlockingbar 20. I v

'On the switch stand is the d'i'sengageable interlock-operating lever33, which has a pivot 34 in the stop 13, this pivot being con centricwith the pivot -,10 of the switchoperating lever 9 when the fulcrum-head8 is up against the stop 13 insuchposition. as to permit the lever 9 todrop into the-slot 11. This lever 33 has a lateral boss 35 extendingover toward the switch-operating lever 9 and .carrying a lug 36 thatenters a recess 37 in the switch operating lever 9 when said lever 9 isbrought up toward the lever 33; v

. About in alinement with the boss 37 and i the lug 36, is a stud orpivot 38, on the lever is connected to said lever 33.

33, by means of which the connecting-rod 39,

v This connecting-rod 39 extends down and has a rounded part 40 that isscrewed into a T I head .41 andprovided with a vlock nut :42

to fix it therein. This T-head 41 is brought between, the arms '31 ofthe bell-crank and a pivot pin 43 passes through the arms andthrough'the horizontal part of the T-l1ead.. With the parts thusarranged, when it is desiredto open the switch,-finding the lever 9andthe other part-s in the positions shownin Fig. l, the operatorremoves the padlock fromv the ear 15yand. raises the lever v9 to itshorizontal position so as to release it' from the slot 11. Indoing thishe raises the interlock-operating lever 33 along with thelever 9, due tothe engagement of the lug 36 in therecess 37 insaid-lever 9.vRaisfulcrum-head 8 around .in the horizontal 19, until the opening 26 insaid interlocking bar is drawn away from the end of the plun-l ing thislever ,33 thus to its horizontal position, it operates, through theconnection by means of the rod 39 and the T-head 41, to

as before described,.withdraws the, plunger 25Hfrom the interlocking-bar20. WVhen this plunger-is thus withdrawn, the'switch may be opened byswinging the lever 9 with its 1 plane. In .thusswinging these partsaround,

thellever 9 leaves .the. interlock-operating" lever 33 with its-lug36withdrawn from the recess of said lever 9. This lever 33 will thusremain in raised horizontal position with the interlocking-plunger 25withdrawn.

from the interlocking-bar 20, because, in

opening the switch, the interlocking-bar 20 has been pulled out,due toits connection withthe point-rail 7 by means of the guard ger25.fl r.When the switchis to beclosed, the lever 9 and the fulcrum-head 8areuswung-back.

in the horizontahplane, and, as they approach theclosed position, therecess 37 in the lever9 will again receive the lug 36 of theinterlock-operatingalever 33. ;N ow, if

the operator is to move said leverj9 down to itsv vertical positionwithin ithe slot 11,'it is necessary. to force-the interlock-operatingle- ,ver 33 down; and, for this lever to go down,

it is necessary for :theplunger 25 to enter,

the opening 26 in the -interlocking-bar 2O. As above described, jtheparts are so ar-' in position to admit 'thejplunger 25 as --ra11ged thatthis opening 26 will not be long-as thefpoint-rail '7"is-fanyappreciable distance away from; tfhe'jstook-rail ofthe' track. Thereforeit will be seen that itQ will be. impossible for thejoperatorl' to]:

bring the switchoperatingdevent),down to vertical position tvvith jitsear-15 pro-v trading to receive the padlock unless the point-rail 7 hasactually been broughtup to safe position and 'theqplunger 25-has)entered the openingb26 'in the interlocking b'arQO. Therefore it ,Will'ibeimpossiblefor-i" a careless operator to lock; the switch in an;safe position whether:v this be du'eto Wear V and looseness intheconneotions between. the.

switch-stand and therails, or whether it be due to some obstructionbetweenthefpointw =rail andthestock-rail; which, e'venthough it wereslight, might hold the l:.;point-rail]7 j far enough away fora sharp 1fiangetoI enter between the point rail andthe stock-railgand result inderailment. ,NYher'e the obstruc-j tion is small; it is especially;dangerous, ,be-j' 5.5 causenwithout; an interlocking-mechanism" "theoperator may strain thepartsofthe switch-stand and switch gsuflicientlyfto jl'ac icomplislt-the locking of; the switcli-st'and with theobstruction in place The interlocking-mechanism prevents: this; my

required on the Jpart'of the operator;

improved connections enable this mechanism,

to beyoperated withQa minimum of parts to};

a the mechanism and of wear and ofattention" By making the-bell-lerankas shown, with and its} cover 28, and, with the arm 30f. insideimportant consideration,"thehousing l8 .bel-I ing also,constructed.withthislin viewflI:

also reduce theexpens'e ofx consti'uctionand maintenance, considerablyby-m'aking'flthef .120 integral. The parts-of*the shaft gg):thatlie l inthe'bearings maybertu'rned andtheends; r

two arms 31, the arm 3O Eandthe shaft 29 v of the arms. 31' may belboredin alinementt to pivot with the T-head 41 with far less work thanwouldibe necessary to assemble:

the: different parts made-separately. .On'ej of the arms 31 isprovidedwithfaprojection 44 with which the. square'head of the pin 43engagesso that the pin is prevented from c turning in the arms and allof the 'wear..-

. raise the lever 9 and the interlock-operating takes place between thepin and the T-head l 41.

By providing the rod 39 with the reduced threaded part 40 screwedintothe T-head 41, thelength of this connection may be adjusted so thatthe bringingof the interlockoperating lever 33 to horizontal positionwill withdraw the plunger 25 just the proper distance to clear theinterlocking-bar 20 and thereby insure that these partswill remain intheir raised positions when the lever 9 is drawn away from the lever 33ready to reengage upon the return of the lever 9. a

The device shown'in Fig. 6 is like that shown in the other figuresexcepting that'the plunger 25 is provided with a rack 45 and thebell-crank has a segment gear 46 substituted forthe arm 30. This segmentgear, meshing with the rack 45,[ withdraws the plunger 25 from) theinterlocking-bar 20 when the arms 31 of the bell-crank are raisedin themannerhereinbefore described.

To guard against withdrawal of the plunger 25 from the; interlocking-bar20, should the switch stand and other exposed mechanism be dislocated Ordestroyed, the plate 24 is provided. This plate will permit the casing27and other parts supported thereby to be destroyed and will yet cover andhold down. the housing 18 and the plunger 25 therein. Where it isdesired to provide' additional insurance against withdrawal of theplunger in case. of such. an accident, a suitable locking device'may beprovided to engage with the plunger 25 and be released manually beforethe operator attempts to lever 33 therewith, such locking devices beingof various descriptions and the manner of their application to theinterlockingmechanism notbeing novel, no specific description thereof isdeemed necessary herein. It will also be understood that various othermodifications of my invention are possible Without departing from thescope or spirit thereof, which is defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. In switclrinterlocking mechanism, an interlocking-barconnected to the point-rail of a switch, a plunger adapted to engageacross said bar, throwing means for said plunger, a switch-operatinglever requiring initial movement in one plane before it can be moved inanother plane to throw the switch, an interlock-operating lever movablewith the switch-operating lever during the initial movement thereof, butdisengageable therefrom when the switch-op6rating lever is moved tothrow the switch, and operative connection between theinterlock-operating lever and said throwing means for the plunger.

2. In switch-interlocking mechanism, an interlocking-bar connected tothe point-rail of the switch, a plunger adapted to engage across saidbar, a bell-crank adapted to throw said plunger, switch-operating leverrequiring initial movement in one plane before it can be moved inanother-plane to throw the switch, 1 an interlockoperating lever movablewith the switch-operating lever during initial movement thereof, butdisengageable therefrom when the switchoperating lever is moved to throwtheswitch, and. connect ng element from sald interlock-operating leverto said bell-crank.

3. In switch-interlocking mechanism, an interlocking-bar connected tothe point-rail of a switch, a plunger adapted to engage across said bar,throwing means for said plunger, a switch-operating lever requiringinitial movementin one plane before it can be moved in another plane tothrow the sw tch, an interlock-operating lever movable with theswitch-operating lever during the initialmovement thereof, butdisengageable therefrom when the switchoperating lever is moved tothrowthe switch, operative connection between the interlock operating leverand saidthrowing means for the plunger, and means for adjusting saidoperative connection. l

a. In switch-interlocking mechanism, an

interlocking-barconnected to the point-rail of the switch, a plungeradapted'to engage across said bar, a bell-crank adapted to throw saidplunger, a switch-operatinglever requiring initial movement in one planebefore it can be moved in another plane to throw the switch, aninterlock-operating lever movable with the switch-operating lever duringinitial movement thereof, but

di-sengageable therefrom when the switchoperating lever is movedto throwthe switch, a connecting element from said interloclooperatingflever tosaid bell-crank, and means for adjusting the length of said con nectingelement.

In switch-interlocking mechanism, an interlocking-bar connected to thepoint rail of the switch, a plunger engaging across said bar, throwingmeans for said plunger,

,a-switch-operating lever requiring initial movement 111 one planebefore it can be moved in another plane to throw the switch, aninterlock-operating lever movable in a plane substantially parallel withthe plane of initial movement of the switch-operating lever, a lugcarried bythe interlockoperating lever, said switch-operating leverhaving a recess receiving the lug, said lug being adapted to bedisengaged from the recess when the switch-operatinglever is moved tothrow the switch, and operative connection between saidinterlock-operating lever and V the throwing means for the plunger.

6. In switch-interlocking mechanism, in

combination with a switch-stand and a main shaft thereon and connectionbetween said main shaft andthe point-rail ofthe switch,

a fulcrum-head fixednto the main shaft, a sw1tch operat1ng lever havinga pivot in said fulcrum-head, a plate having a slot within whichtheswitch-operating lever engages, said lever beingi initially swung outof f centric with the pivot of the switclroperat ing lever during theinitial movement thereof, means for engagement betweenthe nterlocK-operating lever and the switch-operat- V ,1 ing lever whereby they swingtogether durin'g'said initial movement, but whereby they disengageduring the movement of. the

switch-operating lever to throw the switch,

an interlocking-bar connected to the pointrail of the switch, aninterlocking-plunger adapted to engage across said interlocking bar,throwing means for said lun er, Y and operatlve connectlon between saldmterlockoperating lever and said throwing means for;

e i'p e r- 7. In switch .shaftthereon and connection between said -mainshaft and the point-rail of the switch,

a fulcrnm headrfixed to the inainshaft, a

switch-operating lever having a pivot in saidfulcrum-head, a platehaving a slot wlthinv WhlClltlle sw1tchoperat1ng lever engages,

said ,lever b eing initially swi'ing'out of said Y slot in one'plane,for movement with the fiil crnm headin another plane, to rotate themainshaft and throw theswitch, an inter- I lock-operating lever having apivot concentrio with thepivot of the switch-perating lever during theinitial movement thereof, means for engagement between the interlockn pp arms, and a c0nnecting1iod ad'jiistably se- "cured, in the operatinglever and the switch-operating lever whereby they swing togetherduringsaid initialmovement,.but whereby they disengage during the movement ofthe switchoperating lever to throw the ,switch, aninterlockingbarconnected to the point-rail of the n interlocking mechanism, a in icombination-with a-swltch-stand and a maln.

, switch,- an interlocking-plungen adapted to engage across-saidinterlockingbar, throw nection between said '1 interloclboperating leverand said throwmg'means for thepluning means for vsaid plunger, operativecon-' geiy said; swit chkoperating' lever having means for locking it in"position after it has] fully entered the slotin the plate, but said,-

means being iinavailable until plunger hasrengagedacrosssmd lnterloclnngbar.

8 In switch 'interIockiiigj mechanism, plunger-throwing means eomprs1ng, 1ntegrally formed, a transverse shaft, an engagl 9, In" switchinterlockingmechanism, in comb nation wltha casing and a cover therefor,plunger throwing means comprising,

rigidly securedto each otl1er,,,ai transverse;

shaft joiirnaled between said casing and said :cover,-.an engagingmember-extending from near the" m ddle]: of said shaft within saidcasing,and armsfex'tend'inggfromlthe endsof combination with a casing acoverthere shaft ij oiirna-led between said casingvand, said cover, anengaging member; extending from near the middle ;of,:said shaftwithinisaid casing, arms extending from the" ends of'said shaftontsidethe casing substantially paral lel to each other in anotherdirection, a T

head between; the 'endlpai' tslgof said parallel a pivot pin passingthrongh theLtrans verse part of the Trhead fa'nd thronghsaid stem memberof; said yT-head.

7 JAMES :N. RAMsny, a GLARENOEPERIQEWV. f

' Copies' of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe f Commissioner of Patents a i 'washingtomnc. j v 1 i v v 1"said shaft outside the-I"casing s ibstantially j parallel to each otherin another direction 7 10. In switch-interlocking mechanism, in

rigidly seciired to each: other, a transverse F K o-ANDERsoN. alvitne'ssest 1 f j I

